Category Archives: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Crown Prince Nayef has arrived in the United States for medical tests, Saudi state television said on Friday.

Prince Nayef, who has been the kingdom’s interior minister for decades, arrived in Cleveland for “scheduled medical tests”, it said, without giving further details.

At about 78, Prince Nayef is part of an ageing leadership in the world’s top oil exporter, whose stability is key to the world economy.

The television said Prince Nayef had arrived in the United States from Morocco, where state media said on Thursday he had traveled for a private vacation.

Saudi liberals see him as an anti-reform force who is likely to take a cautious approach to social and political change. In foreign affairs, he is expected to focus on national security, having led the kingdom’s fight against al Qaeda as interior minister since 1975.

However, former diplomats to Riyadh and some analysts say he is likely to show a more pragmatic side as crown prince, and eventually as king.

Saudi FM says Riyadh has already paid $500 million of its total commitment into Cairo’s Central Bank, is waiting for Egypt’s approval of memorandum of understanding to deliver second tranche of $1.45 billion.

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that it would honour a pledge of $3.75 billion in aid to Egypt, after complaints by the Egyptian premier that donor countries were failing to respect their commitments.

“The kingdom pledged to support Egypt in meeting the challenges facing its economy through a series of financial commitments totalling $3.75 billion,” Prince Saud al-Faisal was quoted as saying by the official SPA news agency.

Responding to remarks by Prime Minister Kamal Ganzuri on donor states’ failure to honour their pledges to support Egypt’s ailing economy, Faisal said Riyadh had already paid $500 million of its total commitment into Cairo’s Central Bank in May last year when the aid was promised.

A second tranche of $1.45 billion, to finance a number of projects by the Saudi Development Fund, was the subject of a memorandum of understanding still awaiting the go-ahead from Egypt, he added.

The rest of the Saudi aid, including another transfer to the Central Bank and the purchase of treasury bonds, had also been held up by the Egyptian government, Faisal said.

Saudi Arabia has, in addition, supplied Egypt with 48,000 tons of liquefied gas and “will not hesitate to stand beside its Egyptian brothers,” he added.